Minnesota Tree Care Advocate People Helping Trees Help Communities - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

University of Minnesota Department of Forest Resources Minnesota Tree Care Advocate People Helping Trees Help Communities From Seedling to Mature Canopy TIPS FOR OUR URBAN FOREST CARE Ashley Reichard, Volunteer Programs Coordinator - 2019

WHY CARE FOR YOUR TREE?

WHY ARE TREES IMPORTANT • Lowers heating and cooling costs • Reduced psychological stress • Provides beauty • Increases property value • Diversity provides resilience from tree insects & diseases • Reduce air and noise pollution • Provides habitat for wildlife • Assist with stormwater management • Builds stronger community relationships • Fewer crimes in areas with greater amounts of vegetation • Provides relaxing areas to increase physical activity • Reduces depressive symptoms • Restores the mind from mental fatigue • Increases attention and ability to concentrate

WHY DO TREES NEED CARING FOR? Bur Oak 250+ Years Silver Maple 125+ Years Boxelder 100+ Years Jack Pine 80+ Years Figure 2. Urban core landscaping. Paper Birch 65+ Years Suburban Landscape Trees 30-40 Years Urban Core Tree 7-10 Years Figure 3. Suburban landscaping.

WHAT IS IN OUR URBAN FORESTS & WHAT WILL BE?

ASH TREE ID Code: FR Ash (green & white) Fraxinus pennslyvanica and Fraxinus americana (Code: FRPE) (Code: FRAM) F. pennsylvanica, F. pennsylvanica winged leaflet stalk . F. americana F. americana, no wings on leaflet stalk . Ash flower gall is very common on Fraxinus species Photos: Dave Hanson General Characteristics Bark: Gray/brown interlacing “diamond” patterns. Twigs: not as stout as black ash. Leaves: opposite, pinnately compound with 5-9 leaflets, leaflets have petioles (not sessile). Seeds: 1- 2” single samara, “wing” stops where seed begins, seed is round in cross -section.

ASH TREE ID

TREES FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE (SEE HANDOUT)

HOW WILL WE ENSURE A MATURE & RESILIENT URBAN FOREST?

PROPER PLANTING PRACTICES Figure 17. Checking depth when planting a bareroot tree. Figure 16. Using the box-cutting method when planting.

AVOID BURIED STEMS Nursery Stock Sample 2001-2002* • 881 Trees Sampled • B&B and Containerized • 87%: Stem Buried 2+ Inches • 50%: Stem Buried 4+ Inches Figure 9. Comparison of where soil line was and where it should be. Soil Line Graft Union 1 st Main Order Root Figure 10. Example of a soil ball after excess soil Figure 8. Anatomy of a nursery stock tree. was removed

AVOID STEM GIRDLING ROOTS & DYSFUNCTIONAL ROOTS UMN Research Nursery, 2006-2008 • 440 Cans Corrected (#7 & #10) • Planted Nov. 2006 • 7 Trees Staked • Mortality Rate: 3/440 = 0.7% Figure 12. A dysfunctional root system. Figure 11. Using the box-cut method to correct a containerized tree. Figure 13. A buried root system after correction.

MULCHING Figure 18. Volcano mulching – No! Figure 20. Removing excess mulch from a tree that has been buried. Figure 19. Donut mulching – YES!

STEM PROTECTION FROM CRITTERS & MACHINES Figure 22. Fencing as protection. Figure 23. Grow tubes as protection. Figure 24. Mechanical damage. • Protection from:  Critters  Mowers  Weed whips  Cars • Many types of protection: Tree shelters, grow tubes, drainage hose, plastic, burlap, snow fencing, etc. Figure 25. Critter damage.

STAKING • Staking: – Only when necessary* – Windward side – Windward and leeward side – Three stake System – Loose stem attachment – Remove/check end of the growing season *don’t baby the tree! Figure 26. Three stake system.

HOW MUCH TO WATER A TREE Newly Planted Trees As suggested by Gilman, Black, and Deghan (1998), newly planted trees need about 1-1.5 gallons of water per caliper inch of trunk diameter. For example: 2” Caliper x 1.5 gal. /inch = 3 gallons per dose (2 cents per irrigation) Established and Mature Trees The critical root area (the root area that takes up most of the water) is calculated by using a ratio of inches at DBH to feet of root radius, where one inch in DBH accounts for 1.5 feet of critical root radius from the trunk base. The calculations for 10” and 30”DBH established trees are: Established: 10” DBH x 1.5 feet per inch DBH= Radius (r) = 15 foot radius Mature: 30” DBH x 1.5 feet per inch DBH= Radius (r) = 45 foot radius Extending from the base of the tree, the radius should account for most of a tree’s root surface area. “How much does it cost to water this tree?” by Adam Flett, advisors Gary Johnson & John Lamb http://www.mntreesource.com/uploads/2/0/7/0/20706756/how_much_does_it_cost_to_water_this_tree_edited.pdf

DEVICES Watering Bag Watering Ring Watering Well Watering Tape Tree Diaper Figure 27. Watering devices for trees.

COST OF WATERING In Minnesota, the average growing season is 140 days, or 20 weeks. 20 gallons per watering = $0.07 a week per tree 20 weeks * $0.07 To fill a tree watering bag once a week for the entire growing season… $1.40 a year! Based on the City of St. Paul water cost and calculations

HOW DO I CARE FOR MY NEW FRUIT TREE?

CROSS POLLINATOR & GENERAL STRUCTURE • Cross pollination (within 100 feet is best)  Trees like apple, pear, plum, sweet cherries • Self-pollinating  Trees like apricots, nectarines, peaches, sour cherries Shoot is to the left of the arrow, spur to the right • Flower buds  Formed season prior to bloom, typically in the summer  In spring, they form flower bud blooms, bears fruit  Can form on short shoots and spurs • Shoots  If they continue to grow into late summer and fall, less likely to have flower bud and will produce leaf buds instead Flower buds on pear and apple trees

PRUNING FRUIT TREES • At planting, only remove dead or broken branches • Second year, prune for good branch structure  Large branches about 12-18 of spacing between • Third year - remove weak/crossing braches • Subsequent years, thin or remove crossing branches • Do not dress wounds • Prune late winter to early spring or late July to August • Thinning – reduce production, but yields higher quality fruit • Down facing branches = weak and usually unfruitful • Watersprouts (directly upward) = too vigorous and weak • Look for branches that angle up or are parallel to the ground

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED WITH MY URBAN FOREST?

MINNEAPOLIS CITIZEN PRUNER PROGRAM

2019 TREE CARE ADVISOR CORE COURSE

HENNEPIN COUNTY TREE STEWARD PROGRAM

Acknowledgements Michael Bahe Callissa Cloutier Dustin Ellis Sam Graf Gary Johnson Jen Kullgren Valerie McClanahan Minnesota Tree Steward Alex Miller Ryan Murphy QUESTIONS Eric North Monica Randazzo

RESOURCES • Zins, Mark. Deborah Brown. Pruning Trees and Shrubs. University of Minnesota Extension. 2009. www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/dg0628.html • Johnson, Gary. Benjamin Cooper. Tree Stem Protection. University of Minnesota. www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2009/12/tree-stem-protection/ • University of Florida. Cleaning the Canopy. 2011. www.hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/cleaning.shtml • Hazard Trees: Danger Overhead. Tree Care Tips. www.treecaretips.org/Hazard_Trees/Why_Branches_Fall.htm • USDA Forest Service. How to: Prune Trees . Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry. NA-FR-01-95. 2012. www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/htprune-rev-2012-screen.pdf • Marx, Harold. Tree Decay: An Expanded Concept. USDA Forest Service. Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 419. April 1979. www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/misc/treedecay/pg12-19.htm • University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener. Pruning. Microsoft Office PowerPoint. 2013. • North, Eric. Pruning is Wounding Microsoft Office PowerPoint. 2013. • https://www.mda.state.mn.us/emeraldashborer • http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/eab/index.html • https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_ded/ht_ded.htm • http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/dutch-elm-disease/ • http://www.extension.umn.edu/environment/agroforestry/elm-trees.html • https://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/fidls/oakwilt/oakwilt.htm • http://www.extension.umn.edu/environment/trees-woodlands/oak-wilt-in-minnesota/ • http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/plant-diseases/bur-oak-blight • https://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/palerts/bur_oak_blight/bob_print.pdf